Families have all sorts of priorities these days, and most have to do with improving the relationships, financial situation or overall atmosphere of a household. For that reason, carpooling is something that a lot of families have been looking into, because it can address all of these concerns. Read on to learn more about why this may just be panacea your family needs J

Alleviating Stress
If parents are frantically racing to and fro, they’re going to be stressed out. They might not feel as though they have the time or energy to take their children to all of their activities, as they’re constantly racing against the clock. Allowing youngsters to carpool with other individuals gives all of the parents involved time to attend to their needs. You’ll put in your duty once a week, every other day, what have you, and you’ll have plenty of time to rest up, take care of your own needs, etc.

Respecting Authority
Right now, your children might tend to listen only to you, but what about when they meet other figures of authority? Of course, you don’t want to encourage them to obey strangers, but they should be comfortable listening to other adults that you trust. By participating in a carpool plan, you teach your children about different kinds of rules and norms that other families have. This will encourage respect for other ways of life and perhaps even teach lessons about what to be thankful for at home.

Saving Money
Are you spending an excessive amount of money on gas each week? Well, if you’re driving to activities every single day, that’s probably why! A carpool is clearly going to be an excellent solution to that problem. All of the other parents in the carpool will likely agree that their gas bills will go down as well when you start to share the responsibilities. In other words, carpooling is an excellent opportunity to keep more cash in your wallet on a regular basis.

For The Environment
If you’ve been following the news or if you’re an environmentalist at all, you probably know the problems our earth is facing when it comes to fossil fuels and pollution. If you take the step to carpool with your children, you will not only be doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint, you can lead your children into green lifestyles as well, by example! It’s always a good thing to instill in your children at an early age that idea that little steps can go a long way.

Quality Time

Do you find yourself wondering what your children’s friends are like? Do you worry that they’re getting into trouble when you’re not around? Carpooling is a great way to check in on the goings on of your kids and their friends, neighbors, etc. Ask what everyone’s been up to, how they feel about school, etc. The attitudes of their friends can be very helpful to know. If one of your child’s friends is a downer about homework, it’s up to you to change that, before they rub off on your little one!

Joseph Rodriguez writes about all things related to family matters. His recent work is a piece on the Most Affordable Online Masters in Counseling Programs.